Read a full match report from the Barclays Premier League game between Arsenal
and Everton from Emirates Stadium on Jan 9, 2009.

In this Arctic outpost of North London, Arsenal were more than grateful for cold comforts.

True, Tomas Rosicky’s painfully late equaliser salvaged only a point, but it felt like three as the bloody-mindedness of Arsène Wenger’s players redeemed an enfeebled display. As a blizzard swirled inside the Emirates dome, Everton fans could hear only the chill warning of the stadium announcer that they could find their last trains home cancelled; it threatened to be a long, hard road back to Merseyside.

Such was Everton’s dominance, the only reaction Wenger could muster was one of relief. The Arsenal manager appears to have enjoyed an especially convivial Christmas, or made some drastic New Year’s resolutions — either way, his language was striking by its magnanimity. “We gained one point, because we were closer to losing this game than winning it,” he acknowledged, eyeing a three-point deficit to leaders Chelsea who they meet at Stamford Bridge on Feb 7.

“We didn’t produce the quality that we are used to in our team play,” Wenger said. “I would have signed for a point. For the biggest part of this match Everton were more dangerous, sharper than us.” He did not need to tell that to an apoplectic Moyes, left to rue the failure of his team to make good on Steven Pienaar’s stunning second-half breakaway goal. “There are a few of our players shouting at each other,” the Everton manager said. “While the performance was terrific, we have to be more ruthless.”

Arsenal merely thanked their fortune and nursed their wounds. Denilson, their in-form midfield conductor, had to be removed from the field on a stretcher with 10 minutes left after pulling up mysteriously, clutching his side. Wenger disclosed that the Brazilian was walking about normally in the dressing room afterwards, but confirmed further tests were needed.

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He had much to be grateful to Denilson for, given the 21-year old’s role in creating the first of two deflected goals. “We didn’t create many chances and we scored two goals from deflections. We are lucky at the moment but I like to think we are lucky because we have the right spirit.”

The right spirit in the wrong weather, certainly. Landon Donovan must have been pining for some California rays. Barely 24 hours after decamping to the North-West, the second brightest star in the Los Angeles Galaxy (Mr Beckham being on his own sabbatical in Milan) was pitched into the teeth of a London snowstorm.

It was a curious gamble by Moyes, who clearly preferred to rely on a jetlagged American and a less-than-fit Louis Saha than risk Jo, the mercurial striker who had disappeared to Brazil for Christmas without the manager’s permission. But he seemed satisfied with the decision: “Landon did really well, considering he has just come back from Hawaii.”

It took only 12 minutes for Donovan to contrive what American sports statisticians like to call an “assist”. Saha had already wasted a finish, surging on to a crafty ball from Steven Pienaar that left him square on goal, when the on-loan Galaxy winger whipped in the type of corner on which it would have been impolite not to capitalise. Osman was the first to see the opportunity, putting every inch of his substantial frame behind his header.

Everton were pressing Arsenal to great effect, and it was left to the full-backs to spearhead the rare counter-attacks. Bacary Sagna put in an enticing ball, which, after one attempted clearance, left the Everton defence in disarray, emboldening William Gallas to try his luck. The Frenchman hooked his shot clear of Howard before Leighton Baines made the last-ditch intervention.

But the havoc wrought by Sagna in the six-yard box could not be contained. When the right-back’s cross was not properly dealt with, Eduardo pounced, touching the ball into the path of Denilson, whose low drive took a looping deflection off Osman to leave Howard stranded.

As the snow began to settle early in the second half, so Moyes’ players did, too. Saha was their most consistent threat, a distinction shown no better than by his success in testing Manuel Almunia from 20 yards even when closed down by four red shirts. But Pienaar applied the more telling influence, latching on to Cahill’s perfect through-ball to go one-on-one, scooping a strike over the Spaniard with aplomb.

Arsenal’s riposte was rather less elegant as Rosicky, signalling his return after 18 months of groin problems, weighed in with an injury-time shot that ricocheted past Howard off Lucas Neill. It was a move of scant aesthetic merit, but of potentially untold moment in this season’s title race.